The Canadian flag – red in the east; red in the west. Double Red. A perfect style for the “East meets West” collaboration born at the 2012 Session Toronto Craft Beer Festival between BC’s Central City Brewers & Distillers and Ontario’s Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. This Limited Edition Double Red Ale has been single-hopped using the first release of the brand new “Mosaic” hops bringing out floral notes of Papaya and Guava, creating a unique flavour and aroma when married with the Pale, Munich and Three Crystal malts.

Poured from a bomber into a stemmed tulip glass and shared with friends.

A: It pours a deep brownish red color (mahogany?) with a short tan head that leaves some decent lacing.

S: There is pleasant malt nose highlighting some toasted grains, caramel and bread. The predominate aroma however is a big blast of hops with lots of fruit (tropical and citrus) and some spicy/piney notes.

T: The taste follows suit, but the malt comes through a bit more and the hops transitions nicely from juicy fruit to dry, bitterness!

M: There is a good amount of carbonation and medium-high body making the brew smooth and round.

O: This is a really nice (imperial?) red ale with a tasty malt backbone with lots of diverse hop notes. (725 characters)

Appearance- Pours a chestnut brown with a finger of frothy beige head.

Smell- Caramalts, papaya, gauva (mosaic hops)

Taste- Caramalts and then goes right to the Mosaic hops (papaya, guava). Finishes with a pleasant bitterness.

Mouthfeel- Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Has a pleasant stickiness.

Overall- A well executed collaboration brew between Central City and Flying Monkeys. The mosaic hops add a unique flavour profile that makes this brew quite enjoyable. Glad I got my hands on a bottle. (533 characters)